Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir took the gold medal in the women’s race at the IAAF/Cardiff University World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday March 26.
[link id=”830″ tax=”post_tag” text=” Peres Jepchirchir”], who was making her second appearance ever for [link id=”81″ tax=”category” text=”Kenya”] after failing to finish at the 2014 Africa XC Championships in Kampala, led a Kenyan sweep of the podium at Cardiff 2016.
The 22-year-old outsprinted her compatriot [link id=”860″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Cynthia Jerotich Limo”] to win the title, stopping the clock at 1:07:31.
Cynthia Limo, the world leader, who was making her maiden appearance for Kenya, clocked 1:07:34 to settle for silver ahead of the 2014 World Half silver medallist Mary Wacera Ngugi, who settled for bronze in 1:07:54 to complete the podium.
For the second successive edition, [link id=”82″ tax=”category” text=”Ethiopia”]’s [link id=”865″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Netsanet Gudeta”] was the best non-Kenyan finisher.
Gudeta was sixth in Copenhagen two years ago and finished fourth here in [link id=”909″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Cardiff 2016″], clocking 1:08:01. Another Ethiopian [link id=”596″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Genet Yalew”] clocked 1:08:15 for fifth.
Peres Jepchirchir now joins the likes of Tegla Loroupe, [link id=”141″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Mary Keitany”], [link id=”429″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Florence Kiplagat”] and [link id=”347″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Gladys Cherono”], as Kenyans who have won the title.
“The race was not bad,” said Jepchirchir after the race. “The course was good but I struggled a bit climbing the hill.”
Women’s team medallists during the IAAF/Cardiff University World Half Marathon Championships on March 26, 2016 in Cardiff, Wales (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images for IAAF)
Team titles
Gladys Chesire and 2012 World Half bronze medallist Pascalia Chepkorir Kipkoech finished sixth and seventh in 1:08:48 and 1:09:44 respectively to ensure that Kenya retained the team title for the sixth time in the past eight editions.
Ethiopia’s Dehininet Demsew finished in eighth place while Peru’s Gladys Tejeda set a South American record of 1:10:14 in ninth position.
Kenya’s aggregate time of 3:22:59 is the second-fastest in the history of the championships.
Ethiopia, team winners in the past two Olympic years, was second in Cardiff 2016. And for the ninth successive edition, Japan took team bronze.
Team #Kenya dominated the women’s championships at @Cardiff2016 #Cardiff2016 #Cardiffuni #WHM2016 @athletics_kenya pic.twitter.com/NM0RI2jA7M
— Athletics Africa (@athleticsafrica) 26 March 2016
